New Here, Just Got a Dragon

[Firebonbon]

Hey there everyone, I'm Lizzie. I just turned 17 and for my birthday I got a bearded dragon. He is a normal morph and he is one year old. I got him from a family friend who's son had him and never payed any attention to him. He's a very sweet boy and he's very docile. On his left side he was attacked by thier dog and they had surgery done to save him, so a section on his spikes on that side are gone. I named him 'The Apocolypse' but I am calling him Paco for short. I'm VERY nervous because I don't want to mess anything up. I've never had any sort of reptile before and I knew a beardie would be a good way to start. Still, I just really want to do everything right.

Currently, The Apocalypse is in a 30 gallon tank, but I know that an adult needs a 40 gallon at the least so I will probably use my birthday money to pay for a bigger one.

Any tips for a first timer? I've done lots of research but I'm still nervous. Haha.

 

[william488]

happy birthday, and welcome to the wonderful world of being a beardie slave! :lol:

not sure what you have researched yet, but will hit the highlights that most here will agree with:

first for greens, a great site with what greens are good to feed your beardie: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

for your cage, yes you are right, atlest a 40gal, but you also want to make sure to use a solid substrate, like papertowels, tiles, etc, don't use sand, wood chips, and other loose substrates because they can cause impaction.
Lights: most here will suggest using a reptisun 10.0 tube UVB light, not a reptiglo, not a coil UVB bulb either.

you will want to give him a bath every couple of days, ( I give my adults a bath on sundays and thursdays, More when they are shedding) my babies I give baths daily. reason for this is to keep them clean and hydrated, most dragons don't drink out of standing water, they some times will drink out of the bath when in there. Plus they do absorb water through their vent. You can also drop water onto the tip of their mouth, and some will lick it off too.

Bugs: make sure you dust your bugs with calcium and vitamins, calcium 4-5 times a week and vitamins 2 times a week.

 

[RexTheBeardedDragon]

Welcome and hope you find the answers your looking for.